Luke Davies
An Olympic athlete was banned for life for breaking the rules of a historic event in the most bizarre way.
The Olympic Games are arguably sports’ biggest event. Every four years, thousands of athletes from around the globe compete. Some are happy to represent their country, others are pleased to have qualified, while a select few want to win gold medals and will go to extreme lengths to do so.
Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Michael Johnson, the list of iconic Olympians is endless.
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But one lesser-known athlete caused huge controversy during the Olympic Marathon back in 1904.
On that occasion, the first runner to cross the line was the USA’s Fred Lorz.
32 athletes took part in the 25-mile course in St Louis and were faced with unpaved roads and 32 °C heat - not to mention the crippling humidity.
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And that was not all, to make things even more difficult, just one water stop was permitted while horses, used to control fans, kicked up dust, making breathing difficult, according to the BBC.
As a result of the harsh conditions, just 14 of the 32 competitors managed to cross the finishing line, with Lorz being first to do so.
However, it was later revealed that the American had suffered cramps and instead of pulling out of the marathon, had hailed a car down and was driven back to the stadium, until the motor broke down.
Then, Lorz ran the final few miles before picking up the gold medal in front of the roaring crowd.
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He was subsequently banned for life by the Amateur Athletic Union – although this was rescinded after the American apologised, and Lorz went on to win the Boston Marathon the following year with a time of 2:38:25.
Meanwhile, the actual winner of the 1904 Olympic Race was Thomas Hicks, but he too used an odd method to get to the finish line.
On the seven-mile mark, Hicks, competing for America despite being British, was on the verge of stopping.
And he took drastic measures to fuel his body when he took strychnine sulfate, raw eggs, and a brandy chaser to help him reach the end.
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The concoction was repeated several times during the race, which caused Hicks to collapse at the finish line before doctors rushed to his aid. His method would see him disqualified if he used it in modern-day Olympics.